After rough start, Alamodome thriving as sports venue

1of 17San Antonio’s Tower of the Americas stands in front of the Alamodome in 1998 during the NCAA Men’s Final Four.Photo: Express-News File Photo

2of 17Indoor fireworks were a part of the opening ceremonies of the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival in the Alamodome. Although rising costs forced cancellation of the festival a few years later, the ‘93 event showcased the new dome, and helped establish San Antonio as a viable site for major sports events.Photo: Express-News file photo

3of 17Sharon Cain (team handball ) and Sean O’Neil (table tennis ) hold the torch before the lights are turned off and the cauldron is lit during opening ceremonies for the U.S. Olympic Festival at the Alamodome on July 23, 1993.Photo: Express-News file photo

7of 17Aggies basketball players Bryan Davis (34) and teammates cheer during second half action of the NCAA South Regional semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 22, 2007.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

8of 17Spurs star David Robinson takes the Alamodome court for the first time on Oct. 16, 1993.Photo: Express-News file photo

9of 17Pernell Whitaker (left) lands a right punch against Julio Cesar Chavez during their fight at the Alamodome on Sept. 10,1993.Photo: Getty Images

10of 17Workers prepare the Alamodome for the Final Four on March 27, 2008.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

11of 17Robert Sanchez sweeps the basketball court at the Alamodome after the floor for the Final Four was laid down in 1998.Photo: Express-News file photo

12of 17Stanford plays Kentucky at the Alamodome during the Men’s Final Four on March 28, 1998.Photo: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

14of 17San Antonio native Delores Gonzalez, behind sign, cheers on the New Orleans Saints with other fans during a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions at the Alamodome, Dec. 24, 2005. The Saints were defeated 13-12. SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS/ERIC KAYNEPhoto: ERIC KAYNE, FREELANCER / SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS

16of 17New Orleans Saints players run onto the field at the Alamodome for an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in San Antonio on Dec. 24, 2005. The Lions won 13-12. The Saints were displaced to San Antonio following Hurricane Katrina.Photo: ERIC GAY /Associated Press

17of 17Tony Bryant (92) and Courtney Watson (55) of the New Orleans Saints take the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 2, 2005, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.Photo: Ronald Martinez /Getty Images

There is nothing like the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The towers and steel cables that rise above Interstate 37, the 60,000-plus seating capacity and the different slices of sporting history that the dome has been involved in set it apart from other large venues.

Although the dome was built with the intention of bringing an NFL team to San Antonio and failed in that respect, it has been a resounding success in every other way through its 22 years of life, becoming a fundamental part of the city.

It will get an extended life span, too, thanks to a planned $42 million renovation approved in July. That month, the Alamodome also hosted the city’s largest convention ever, a 10-day Seventh-day Adventist Church conference, and the dome was selected to host the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.

“Much of the credit (for the 2018 Final Four) goes to the City Council and the mayor for keeping the center current,” said Mary Ullmann Japhet, senior vice president of communications and community engagement for San Antonio Sports. “Making the most recent expansion at the Alamodome shows that the city is committed to making this a premier city in the country.”

When it was first proposed, though, San Antonio residents weren’t quite as convinced that the Alamodome was a good investment.

The biggest obstacle for the $186 million stadium was the manner of its funding. After a half-public, half-private funding plan fell through, proponents of the dome suggested a temporary half-cent sales tax that predictably met some public outcry and had only split support from government officials.

The proposition went to a vote in January 1989, and it was passed with 53 percent of voters supporting it. By November, ground broke on the edge of San Antonio’s downtown district. The name “Alamodome” was settled upon in a “Name the dome” contest, even while some snide detractors suggested “Tax-a-dome.”

The facility earned its first two major clients the year before it opened — the Spurs and the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival.

“San Antonio doesn’t host the U.S. Olympic Festival if not for the Alamodome,” Japhet said. “It was a spectacular event, (and) the opening ceremony was an amazing debut of a world-class facility.”

The festival netted a $500,000 profit after the previous five host cities of that event had lost an average of about the same amount. As for the Spurs, the dome satisfied their desire for a larger arena for the time being.

That September, 65,000 packed into the dome to watch two of the best welterweight boxers of all time face off: Pernell Whitaker and Julio César Chávez. In a 12-round bout, the two battled to a controversial draw.

On the final day of 1993, California defeated Iowa 37-3 in the inaugural Builders Square Alamo Bowl. Attendance was around 45,000 for the city’s first two postseason college football games but jumped to about 65,000 in 1995 when Texas A&M beat Michigan 22-20. Crowds for what is now known as the Valero Alamo Bowl have dipped below 55,000 only once since then.

A year and a half after opening, the sales tax had completely paid off the stadium cost. However, it took only a decade for the Spurs to become disenchanted with the dome as a basketball facility.

Built for football, the Alamodome was cut in half with a massive curtain when set up for the Spurs, causing awkward angles and large distances from the court to the stands.

“This is not the best basketball facility in the world,” Spurs stars David Robinson told the San Antonio Express-News in April 2002. “It’s drafty and cold in here when we work out. The dome has been great to us, but I can’t wait for the opportunity to play in a real arena.”

There were other problems, such as a leaky roof and the tiny locker rooms. While it wasn’t completely without its charm — “We’ve embraced it,” Spurs guard Avery Johnson said in spring 2002. “This is home” — nearly everyone was satisfied when the team moved to what is now the AT&T Center in fall 2002.

In its second stage, the Alamodome began looking to host bigger events, such as the 2004 and 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and the 2002 and 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four.

The dome also enjoyed a taste of the NFL in 2002 and 2003 when the Dallas Cowboys conducted their summer training camp there. But the first official NFL game played there happened after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The displaced New Orleans Saints won a “home” game against the Buffalo Bills 19-7 on Oct. 2 and played two more games Oct. 16 and Dec. 24.

A report released by the city in 2013 estimated that the Alamodome had generated $1.7 billion of economic impact since 2002.